Nigel Farage has repeated his admiration for Vladimir Putin, saying he respects him more than the "kids" who run Britain, as Nick Clegg condemned support for the Russian president as "utterly grotesque".

The Ukip leader said he did not like or trust Putin, or want to live in Russia, but he was doing a better job on foreign policy than David Cameron and the foreign secretary, William Hague.

"The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant. Not that I approve of him politically. How many journalists in jail now?" he said.

Asked about Farage's comments, Clegg, the deputy prime minister, said: "I just think it is utterly grotesque that Nigel Farage apparently admires – and that was the question to him: 'Who do you admire?' – admires someone, Vladimir Putin, who has been the chief sponsor and protector of one of the most brutal dictators on the face of the planet, President Assad [of Syria], who has blocked at every single turn in the United Nations any attempt by the international community to work in concert to help the many, many millions of people who have been driven from their homes and have been brutalised, and have been tortured and have been killed.

"And to then express his admiration by saying that he thinks that Vladimir Putin has played it all as if it's a game. This isn't a game."

Laura Sandys, a Conservative MP in the marginal South Thanet seat which is facing a strong Ukip challenge, tackled Farage over his comments during an event at Chatham House in London, saying she was "absolutely surprised" to hear him allying himself with the Russian leader.

Asked whether he regretted making the comments, Farage told the Chatham House audience: "I said it just after parliament had voted not to go to war in Syria, thank God. One of the things Putin said did actually change the debate in this country … I did make it perfectly clear. It depends what it means by the word … I said I don't like him, I wouldn't trust him and I wouldn't want to live in his country, but compared with the kids who run foreign policy in this country, I've more respect for him than our lot."

Farage made the original comments when he was questioned for GQ by Labour's former director of communications Alastair Campbell in his first interview in his role as the glossy monthly's "arch-interrogator".

Asked which current world leader he most admired, Farage replied: "As an operator, but not as a human being, I would say Putin."

The Russian has drawn international condemnation over his support for Syria's Bashar al-Assad and annexation of the Crimean region of Ukraine.

Last week, Farage said the European Union had "blood on its hands" for encouraging rebellion in Ukraine, Syria and Libya. While stressing he did not approve of Putin's annexation of Crimea, he said EU leaders had been "weak and vain", adding: "If you poke the Russian bear with a stick he will respond."

Farage strongly opposed any British military involvement in Syria at the time of the parliamentary vote last summer.

The Ukip leader also said his party had helped undermine the British National party by stealing a third of its voters. Farage said he was proud his party had given "frustrated" people a choice to avoid the group's racist agenda.

Farage denied taking extremist positions on immigration and pointed out that former BNP members had been banned from joining his party.

"We want no truck with the BNP types at all," he said. "What we did, starting with the Oldham byelection in the north of England, is for the first time ever try to deal with the BNP question by going out and saying to BNP voters, 'If you are voting BNP because you are frustrated, upset with the change in your community, but you are doing it holding your nose because you don't agree with their racist agenda, come and vote for us.'

"I do not think anyone's done more … to damage the BNP than Ukip and I am quite proud of that."